The back mountain of the Fairy Tail Guild.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled spots on the muddy ground.
Aether stood in the center of the clearing.
The golden light of the Jade Shield flowed across his body.
Gildarts stood ten paces away.
He didn’t take any combat stance, hands tucked into the pockets of his worn-out cloak, and let out a yawn.
The edge of the surrounding forest was crowded with people.
Makarov sat on a tree branch, while Wakaba, Macao, and others stood in a row.
Laxus leaned against a thick oak trunk, arms crossed over his chest, staring intently at the field.
“I won’t fight back,” Gildarts spoke, his voice not loud, yet it drowned out the sound of the wind.
“I’ll stand right here.
If you can make me move even half a step, you win.” Aether nodded.
He raised his right hand, and the sacrificial sword appeared out of thin air.
Hydro Elements climbed along the blade.
Xingqiu’s combat memories instantly took over his body.
Aether exerted force under his feet, stepping into a deep pit in the ground.
He lunged forward close to the ground, the tip of his sword pointing directly at Gildarts’ throat.
“Guhua Sword: Fatal Rainscreen.” Three water swords condensed around Aether, thrusting forward along with the main blade.
Gildarts didn’t move.
He watched the approaching sword tip with a calm gaze.
The sword tip was only half a foot away from Gildarts’ throat.
An invisible ripple spread from Gildarts’ body.
There was no sound.
The water swords disintegrated.
The flow of water on the sacrificial sword instantly vanished into nothingness.
Aether felt an unreasonable force traveling down the blade.
He decisively let go.
The sacrificial sword left his hand and was broken into dozens of fragments in mid-air, clattering to the ground.
Aether had already retreated the moment he let go.
Reaching into the air with his left hand, the Iron Greatsword came into his grasp.
Eula’s cryo element erupted.
Aether exerted force from his waist, swinging the greatsword in a semi-circle.
Extreme cold froze the surrounding air, and white frost spread along the ground, closing in on Gildarts’ feet.
“Glacial Illumination.” The greatsword smashed toward the top of Gildarts’ head.
Gildarts raised his right hand.
His index finger met the broad blade of the greatsword.
The fingertip made contact with the blade.
*Crack.* The Iron Greatsword shattered inch by inch starting from the point of contact.
The frost stopped spreading half a meter from Gildarts, then dissolved into white powder and scattered.
Aether was sent flying by the recoil.
He forcefully twisted his waist in mid-air, landed on his feet, and slid back three meters before steadying himself.
Two weapons were destroyed.
Aether took a heavy breath.
Bennett’s pyro element pulsed in his palm.
He slammed both hands onto the ground.
“Fantastic Voyage.” Dark red flames erupted with Aether as the center, forming a circular field of fire.
The high temperature distorted the surrounding air.
Aether stood in the middle of the fire, and with a grip of his right hand, a polearm appeared.
Zhongli’s Geo element attached to the shaft of the polearm.
Aether threw the polearm.
Carrying the heaviness of the Geo element and the explosiveness of the pyro element, it turned into a streak of gold and red light, blasting toward Gildarts.
Gildarts finally showed a hint of appreciation.
“A nice combination.” He clenched his right hand into a fist and swung it forward casually.
The wind from the punch collided with the polearm.
Boom!
The polearm stalled in mid-air, then turned into dust that filled the sky.
The attached Geo and pyro elements were completely dispersed, vanishing into the air as pure magical light particles.
Aether had exhausted the last bit of his magic.
The Jade Shield flickered twice and shattered.
Aether’s knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground.
Sweat dripped from his chin into the dirt.
Gildarts stood where he was.
The ground beneath his feet was as level as before.
He hadn’t moved even half a step.
There was total silence at the edge of the forest.
Laxus grit his teeth and turned to leave.
He understood the caliber of this battle.
That newcomer had forced out Gildarts’ Crash Magic defense, while he himself couldn’t even get close to Gildarts.
Makarov jumped down from the tree and waved his hand.
“Break it up, break it up.
Everyone get back to work.” The crowd dispersed, whispering among themselves.
Gildarts walked over to Aether.
He pulled a water flask from his pocket and tossed it over.
Aether caught the flask, unscrewed it, and took a few gulps.
The cool water flowed down his throat, relieving his thirst.
Gildarts sat cross-legged in front of Aether.
“Your name is Aether, right?” “Yes.” “Your magical attributes are quite varied.
Fire, water, ice, and earth.
You control each one with extreme precision.
That move earlier where you hid your weapons is The Magic of Re-equipping.
You’ve only been in the guild for two months.” Gildarts looked at Aether.
“You’re a monster.” Aether didn’t respond.
He knew that in the face of absolute strength, these tricks were meaningless.
“Why do you want to become stronger?” Gildarts asked suddenly.
Aether was stunned for a moment.
Why did he want to become stronger?
Memories left by his original body flashed through his mind.
Damp dungeons, rough iron chains, and the mocking faces of Mages from Dark Guilds.
That sense of powerlessness was etched into his bones.
Then, the memories shifted.
The starry sky of Teyvat, the winds of Mondstadt, and the lights of Liyue Harbor.
And that Bard in the green cloak, sitting on a branch at Windrise, plucking at his lyre’s strings.
“Traveler, do not be in a hurry to reach the end.
The meaning of travel lies in the scenery along the way and the people who walk beside you.” Aether looked up, staring straight into Gildarts’ eyes.
“I want to travel freely,” Aether’s voice was a bit raspy, but steady.
“This world is huge.
I want to see different sights.
I don’t want to be trapped by anyone or anything.
I also want to protect those who are willing to accept me.
Without strength, freedom is just empty talk.” Gildarts stared at Aether for a few seconds.
Then, he burst into laughter.
The sound made the leaves rustle.
“Good lad.” Gildarts reached out and patted Aether’s shoulder, nearly knocking him over.
“Fairy Tail is your home.
Go wherever you want, and come back when you’re tired.” Gildarts stopped laughing, his expression turning serious.
“Your moves are smooth.
Extremely smooth.
There’s not a single redundant motion.
Even I can’t find any flaws.” Aether heard the turn coming.
“But,” Gildarts pointed at Aether’s chest, “those belong to someone else.” Aether’s pupils constricted slightly.
“Your swordsmanship, your spear techniques, the timing of your magic.
They’re too standard.
So standard that there’s not a hint of your own emotion.” Gildarts stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants.
“Magic is the power of the heart.
You’re just mechanically applying a perfect template.
You haven’t fused your own’soul’ into it.” Gildarts turned and walked toward the guild.
“Smash those borrowed things.
Use your own hands to mold something new.
That will be your magic.” Gildarts’ figure disappeared into the woods.
Aether sat alone in the clearing.
Paimon emerged from the Akasha, flew to Aether’s side, and whispered, “He noticed.” “Yeah.” Aether looked at his own hands.
The combat instincts provided by the system were perfect.
Bennett, Xingqiu, Eula, and Zhongli—their experiences had given Aether formidable immediate combat capability in a short time.
But it also locked his ceiling.
He was used to switching character templates upon encountering enemies, used to thinking about combat in other people’s ways.
If this continued, he would always be nothing more than a poor imitator.
Aether closed his eyes.
Magic flowed slowly within his body.
The explosiveness of fire, the inclusiveness of water, the biting cold of ice, and the heaviness of rock.
He didn’t need to become a second Diluc, nor a second Zhongli.
He was Aether.
Aether opened his eyes, and a ball of fire rose from his palm.
He didn’t use Bennett’s combat instincts to guide it.
He just watched it, feeling its temperature.
Then, a drop of water condensed in the center of the flame.
Water and fire didn’t cancel each other out, nor did they cause an explosion.
Under Aether’s control, they achieved a strange coexistence.
“Paimon,” Aether stood up.
“What’s up?” “I’m going into seclusion.” Aether looked at the elements constantly changing shape in his palm.
“I’m going to create my own moves.”